


the light we lost

by eaglearmor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Vampire Hunter! James, Vampire!Clover, Yearning, friends to enemies to reluctant allies to lovers, well more like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:15:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28558209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eaglearmor/pseuds/eaglearmor
Summary: Huntsman James Ironwood has worked solo for years, hunting and slaying monsters and demons to keep the people of Atlas safe. However, an elusive vampire stalking the streets of Mantle drives him to reach out to his former partner and Huntsman-turned-vampire, Clover Ebi.Maybe together, they can track down the vampire slaughtering innocents. That is, if the two former friends can set aside their past to work together long enough to find them.
Relationships: Clover Ebi/James Ironwood
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. One

It was clear James didn’t belong here, awkward and out of place in his bright, pristine white Huntsman uniform. He could feel the heavy weight of wary gazes following him down the grimy streets of Mantle, but none held his interest for long. None of them belonged to the one he was looking for. 

They only mattered, as long as it took to determine that they were not Clover, and they were not a threat. 

All the while, the moon inched across the sky, and James was almost ready to call it a night, sure that, wherever he was, Clover would be heading back to shelter before the sun broke over the horizon. The thought of another night slipping through his fingers drew a frustrated sigh from his lips, but there was little James could do except give up, or keep trying, again and again until he found Clover.

James did not give up so easily. 

Not when lives were at stake. Not when something was leaving a trail of mangled bodies, drained of blood, across the city, and he could not bring himself to believe the man he’d trusted with his life would do such a thing. But even if it was not Clover, it was  _ somebody _ , and seasoned Huntsmen- just like James- had tried and failed to find them, or tried and never reported back in. Clover knew Mantle like James did not, and what they could not face alone, they could face together. 

That was how it used to be, at least. 

James could hardly blame Clover, if he wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but as painful as the thought of his scorn was, the thought of not even trying to fix his mistake was unbearable. Better to try and fail, than to not try at all, or something like that. He had to find Clover; the rest he would figure out as it came. 

He sighed again and turned to head back to his lodgings, and that was when Clover found him. 

His front connected with the dirt-caked brick wall, his right arm twisted behind him and pinned to his back, in a grip just as unforgiving as the iron it held. 

“Clover-” 

“You won’t leave until you find me,” Clover said. “You found me. You should leave.” 

“I’m here because of the killings.” 

“That’s not me.” Clover’s voice froze over, as cold and hard as the sheets of ice that covered the fields of Solitas. James swallowed past the sudden dryness in his throat, past the fear that came with having a vampire at his throat. Even the knowledge that this was Clover could not completely quell the rising uneasiness. 

Once, Clover never would have dreamed of hurting him- James had no such reservations, when faced with the vampire wearing his friend’s face. Except three years had given him plenty of time to replay the memory of that night- over and over and over- until Clover’s stricken look had seared itself into his memory. He’d had three years, for the grief to subside, and in its place it left only guilt and a hollow ache where Clover had once filled. 

“I know,” James said. “Clover. I know.” 

Silence. 

James couldn’t twist around far enough to see his former friend, to gauge his reaction. The silence between them dragged on, until James found himself tensing in Clover’s grip, prepared for razor sharp teeth to tear through his neck at any second. Instead, dropped him, and by the time James turned around, he had retreated well out of arm’s length. His eyes, lit by a faint, otherworldly glow, tracked James’ every movement- still that same sea green, but colder, now, suspicious. 

“Can we talk?” James tried. 

“Go on.” 

“Clover.” 

“You’ll have to forgive me, for not trusting your intentions, James.” Clover’s mouth pressed into a thin line, but he made no move- towards or away- from James. That was a start. 

“Someone is slaughtering the people of Mantle. And I know that this senseless violence is not from you.” 

“Oh you do?” Clover raised one eyebrow, incredulous. 

“You’ve been busy, Clover, but that’s not your style. You prey on those who prey on the innocent. And this vampire coming into your territory and killing whoever they please? Am I wrong, that you want them gone?” 

“Of course I want them gone. It’s not that simple, James.” 

“Then explain it to me.” 

Clover let out a breath, too dry, too bitter to really be called laughter. 

“Okay,” he said. “Fine. Let’s go, but you’re buying your own drink.”

Clover took him to a small, dimly lit cafe, empty except for the small sheep Faunus working behind the counter and a trio of young adults in the corner, nursing their own steaming drinks. The Faunus working the counter looked up when they entered, her eyes sliding from Clover to James, a few paces behind. For a brief moment, her eyes narrowed, before she turned a bright smile on Clover, setting aside the scroll in her hands. 

“Hey Fi,” he said. “Slow night?” 

“It was until you got here. Usual?” 

“How’d you guess?” 

“It’s the only thing you ever drink, smartass.” 

Clover grinned, shooting ‘Fi’ one of those cocky, self-assured grins- the realest, most  _ Clover _ expression James had seen all night. He averted his gaze, standing behind the vampire awkwardly while the woman leapt into action. Did she know what he was? Did she care? She looked as non-magical as she could get, small and unassuming; was she a vampire or something else? Did Atlas’ problem run far deeper than he could have imagined? 

“Hey!” Her voice startled him from his thoughts. When he glanced back over, Clover was hiding a smile as he took a sip of whatever ‘the usual’ was, while the woman blinked up at him, arms crossed and a frown etched onto her face. “I asked what you wanted?” 

“Nothing, Miss. Uh…” 

“Fiona.”

“Miss Fiona.” 

“Just Fiona is fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Let me know if you change your mind.” 

“Fiona makes some killer teas,” Clover added. 

“I hate you,” she told Clover, but her words lacked any heat. 

They knew each other, and they knew each other well enough to have some form of inside jokes, James concluded as Clover gave her one of his shit eating grins. When he turned back to James, his expression had hardened back into that cold, distant mask. He jerked his head towards one of the tables, leading James to the opposite side of the cafe as the trio in the corner- still not as private as James would have liked, but it would have to do. 

“What makes you think I can actually help you?” Clover asked. Straight to the point, as always. 

“You know Mantle better than I do,” James answered. “And you’re a vampire.” 

“That doesn’t mean I can just track other vampires down at the snap of a finger.”

“I know that.” He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose between his fingers, in a fruitless attempt to ward off the incoming headache. “But you know where they might hide, where they would go to find meals, who might have seen something.” 

“There are other ways to get that information, that don’t involve working with a monster.” 

James lifted his gaze to Clover’s, but his expression was still cool, impossible to read. 

“I know,” he said, and he hoped that Clover could still  _ understand _ him- that Clover still  _ wanted _ to understand him. One of his fingernails tapped against the ceramic of his mug, a fang poking out to chew on his bottom lip as he stared. 

“Okay. I can try. But I’m not going to serve myself up on a platter for the Guild.” 

“I know.” 

“Good.” Clover nodded. “This is my life now. Try and take it, and this time, I will fight.” 

“I understand.” 

“Good.” He grinned, baring those razor edged fangs, and it took all of James training not to flinch away from the sight and ruin what fragile truce they had between them. “Now that we have that out of the way. I have no idea where this vampire is. I’ve tried to find them, but I’ll do what I can. Maybe, together, we can find what we couldn’t alone, and then we never have to see each other again.” 

James smiled and nodded, as if that was exactly what he wanted. 

“Of course. Where shall we start?” 


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: a brief description of a minor sensory overload, mentions of (minor character) death

The ceiling had not got any more interesting in the three hours James had spent staring at it. Watery morning light peeked out from under the bottom of the curtains, but still, sleep eluded him as he replayed the conversation from that night over and over. Clover, sitting across from him, looking at him,  _ talking _ to him. He feared if he let the memory go, it would slip away, as if it had never been real in the first place. 

Every so often, he glanced over at the nightstand and the folded slip of paper that rested atop it. In the darkness, he couldn’t make out the address scrawled onto the paper, but he’d long since memorized it, mapping out the route he would take, what he would need to watch out for, the sweeps and curves of Clover’s handwriting, until it all melted together in his mind. 

And still, sleep eluded him. 

“I have no idea who this vampire is, or what they look like,” Clover had said. “All we have to work with are suspicions.” 

“Suspicions?” James had pressed. 

“Vampire politics,” Clover explained, as if that meant anything to James. “I have a hunch, who they may work for, but it’s just that. A hunch.” 

“Bad?” 

“Bad.” 

James hardly understood the ins and outs of vampire politics. He only needed to know how to kill them- the intricacies of their society hardly interested the guilds, and he didn’t need to know how infamous a vampire was to drive a stake through its heart. But Clover seemed to think it was important, and so James had agreed to dig deeper with him, which meant, apparently, reaching out to some of Clover’s contacts in and around Mantle. 

Of course, it could all be a trap- a ploy to take down a Guild hunter, or to offer him up to one of the more powerful vampires that lurked in Remnant’s shadows, or- James could go on all day. He’d already done it for most of the night, mapping out every possible way this could backfire on him, and then some. In the end, he squeezed his eyes shut against the morning light and pressed his face into the pillow until he finally, blessedly fell into a fitful sleep. 

One of the possibilities that James had considered, of course, was that Clover had strung him along, and he was sending James off only to never show his face again. Against the possibilities this was a trap, it hadn’t seemed so terrible an option, but as the sun sank below the horizon and the shadows lengthened, and still James stood alone beside the grimy monument, something heavy and aching lodged itself in his chest. Five minutes turned into ten minutes past the agreed meeting time, and then twenty. Finally, James let out a huff, maybe disappointment, maybe irritation. 

Clover had been a lead, and he had wasted precious time chasing him. 

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and turned to leave, shoulders hunched as if the heaviness of his heart were a physical weight, dragging him down, down. And there he was, standing deep in the shadows of the brick buildings that loomed on either side of the monument. An old Mantle hero, Clover had said, long since rusted and covered in dirt. No nameplate decorated the statue, so James couldn’t even name them. Couldn’t read it anyway, in the darkness with no street lamps to illuminate anything. 

Just Clover’s eyes, glowing faintly green in the night. 

“How long have you been standing there?” he snapped. That heaviness sharpened into something angier, and his voice bounced off the empty streets to echo around them. Clover didn’t flinch, just stepped closer- close enough James could make out a vague hint of his expression. 

Cold as ice. 

“Since the sun set,” he answered smoothly. 

“And you didn’t say anything?” 

“No.” Clover took another step forward, and it took every bit of James’ training not to step back, even as part of his mind screamed danger as those eyes flicked over his face. “I had to make sure you came alone. I may have agreed to help you, but that does not mean I trust you.” 

“I trusted you enough to come out here alone.” 

“I haven’t tried to kill you, have I?” 

James opened his mouth, stopped, closed it again. Clover. . . did have a point there. His eyes slid away from the vampire, and his mouth twisted into a frown, bitter and sullen. “That’s my job.” 

“Exactly.” 

“What would you have had me do, Clover?” 

“Anything but that.” Clover sighed, finally taking a step back and giving James enough room to breathe. To think. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You really want to find this vampire? Then let’s get to work.” 

“Yes. Let’s,” James agreed, but it sounded hollow, even to his ears. 

Clover didn’t comment on it. 

He just turned, shrugging one shoulder as if to ask James to follow, and set off down the street. James fell into step beside him, silent, until the yawning gulf between them grew too much to bear. It was tense, awkward, and left James more on edge than he had been the night before. 

“Where are we going?” 

“I tracked down a witness. She agreed to talk to us, so long as you agree to behave.” 

“Me? Behave?” James spluttered. 

“Mhm.” Was it a trick of the light, or had Clover’s lips curled up into an achingly familiar half-smile? James didn’t dare look. “You don’t ask for a name. You don’t ask personal questions. Only what you need, to help us find this vampire.” 

“Dare I ask what this witness is?” 

“I wouldn’t.” 

“Right.” 

“If it makes you feel any better, all you need to do is be polite. I’m not taking you anywhere you’ll end up as dinner, or to something malicious.” 

“I appreciate that,” James said. 

“Remember. Be polite.” It sounded too much like a warning for James’ taste, but then Clover was pushing open a door and leading him inside a building, full of pulsing music and flashing lights and laughter and voices and  _ so much _ . 

James reached out and grabbed Clover’s arm before he could stop himself, flinching at the onslaught against his senses. He hardly registered the cool hand pressed to the small of his back, guiding him through the crowd, until he was pulled into a back room and a door shut behind him with a click. 

“Some warning would have been nice,” he managed through gritted teeth. 

“Noted.” Clover peered over at him, mouth pressed into a thin line, and then with a blink, his hand withdrew and he stepped back. It took another moment and deep steadying breaths before James felt centered enough to give him a little nod. 

Clover turned, gesturing for him to follow as he picked his way through the much calmer back room of the club. Some of the other patrons, scattered around tables and hunched over card games, sent them looks as they passed. James counted at least one vampire, watching their progress across the room with gleaming yellow eyes. James met her eyes, and a small smile curled her lips, baring the edge of fangs. He swallowed past the sudden dryness in his mouth and turned back ahead.

Clover slid into a booth across from a young woman- or, considering their earlier conversation- what looked like a young woman. She sat with her chin propped in her hands, sea green eyes watching them with a strange sort of fascination. A pink cat-like tail twitched behind her, and her orange hair had been done up into buns to resemble cat ears. A bright blue drink sat half-empty by her elbow. 

“Was wondering when you’d show up. I missed my favorite song,” she said. 

“We appreciate you waiting. Can’t be too careful.” 

“No,” she agreed, as her eyes flitted to James. “You can’t. So. You wanna hear all about it, then?” 

“Yes, that would be wonderful.” 

“Right. Well.” The young woman sat up to take a drink, and James noted the slight tremble of her hands as she set the glass back down. Seemed something had her more rattled that she let on. He frowned, making a note of it, and resolved to tell Clover later. “I was headed back from a race. Real late at night, hardly anyone out. It’s usually nice, gives me a chance to just let loose and go as fast as I want, except this time it was different. It was quiet. Like, real quiet. Normally you can hear other people, or the spirits rattling around. Even the rats. But there was nothing.” 

“When was this?” James asked. 

“Four days ago.” An attack near a political rally- James had guessed the vampire had attacked as the group of six left. “I smelled the blood first. It was awful- no offense Clover. And then I saw them, freshly killed. Two people were there, one of them covered in blood and the other just, well, standing there on a scroll. I didn’t get a good look at them, but I don’t think they got a good look at me, either. I just turned and ran, the other direction.” 

“Two? Both vampires? Could you see their genders? Any distinguishing features?” he pressed. 

“No. Just two silhouettes. Their backs were to me. Just the one, the shorter one, was covered in blood. They weren’t speaking or anything. Just. . . standing there. Those people were already dead but they didn’t even feed off them! What’s the point?” 

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Clover said, calm and gentle. It seemed to reassure her, and she nodded as she took another long drink. “Is there anything else you remember?” 

“No. But I’ll see if I can find anybody else who knows something. You can figure this out, right?” 

“We’ll do our best. This was really helpful, you know how to find me, alright? I’ll buy you another drink, to make up for missing your favorite song, how about that?” 

“I’d love that!” James nearly jumped out of his seat at her sudden shift in tone and volume, as if Clover’s promise had eased the fear he’d seen behind her eyes. 

Clover turned to signal a waiter, and James dropped his gaze to his hands as he sorted through the information this woman had given them. This now seemed less like a rogue vampire, and more like a plot of some sort, though to what ends, he couldn’t guess. Not yet. And still, a knot of unease twisted in his stomach when he glanced over and met Clover’s eyes, just as dark and troubled as James felt. 

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: sunsanktas
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated


End file.
